This family contains two genera of Pitcher plants the Nepenthes and Anurosperma. However, some scientists tend to classify the family with only one genus, the Nepenthes. There are around 120 species of wild pitcher lant, all found in the Old World.
The pitcher plants are borne from the end of tendrils that extend from the midrib of a leaf. Often pitcher plants are epiphytes, but can also be found in bogs where nitrogen and phosphorus are limiting.